Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 3.djvu/336

326 lawn. "Oh, I will relieve her of my presence!" thought I; and immediately I rose and advanced to take leave, with a most heroic resolution—but pride was at the bottom of it, or it could not have carried me through.

"Are you going already?" said she, taking the hand I offered, and not immediately letting at go

"Why should I stay any longer?"

"Wait till Arthur comes, at least."

Only too glad to obey, I stood and leant against the opposite side of the window. "You told me you were not changed," said my companion: "you are—very much so."

"No, Mrs. Huntingdon, I only ought to be."

"Do you mean to maintain that you have the same regard for me that you had when last we met?"

"I have, but it would be wrong to talk of it now."

"It was wrong to talk of it then, Gilbert; it would not now—unless to do so would be to violate the truth."